Roller blind cassette and roller blind system

ABSTRACT

A roller blind cassette for receiving a roller blind shaft and a roller blind which in the stowed state is wound onto the roller blind shaft and in a functional state is drawn in a longitudinal direction through an exit slot of the roller blind cassette. The cassette has a housing with a hollow section slotted along its length and extending in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and forming the exit slot of the roller blind cassette. Two opposite edge regions extend on both sides of the slot of the hollow section and are connected to one another in the region of two opposite ends of the hollow section by a connecting bridge.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 13/422 443,filed Mar. 16, 2012, which claims the priority of German Application No.10 2011 005 819.2, filed Mar. 18, 2011, the disclosure of whichapplications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety intothis application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a roller blind cassette for receiving a rollerblind shaft and a roller blind which in the stowed state is wound ontothe roller blind shaft and in a function state can be drawn in alongitudinal direction off the roller blind shaft through an exit slotof the roller blind cassette, having a housing which has a hollowsection slotted along its full length and extending in a main extensiondirection transversely to the longitudinal direction and whose slotforms the exit slot of the roller blind cassette.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generic roller blind cassettes are widely known from the prior art andare used for roller blinds in motor vehicles, for instance for rollershades or as covers for luggage compartments, in order to hold the woundroller blind when it is not necessary for it to be in its functionstate. The base element of such roller blind cassettes, which is formedas a slotted hollow section, is advantageous from a productionengineering point of view when compared with a closed hollow sectionthat is subsequently machined, since it involves a reduced machiningeffort and the costs can therefore be reduced. Slotted hollow sectionsof this type are however significantly less resistant to torsion thanclosed hollow sections, since their edges in the area of the slotprovide little resistance to a relative displacement in the mainextension direction. In known roller blind cassettes with a slottedhollow section, comparatively thick medium plate, in particular havingwalls thicker than 1.5 mm, is used to obtain an adequate resistance totorsion. Thinner walls have until now been regarded as disadvantageous,since they cannot ensure adequate resistance to torsion in the rollerblind cassette.

A disadvantage of these roller blind cassettes known from the prior artand having thick walls is that they have comparatively high mass. Thereis however a growing need to reduce the mass of every component used ina vehicle in order to increase its efficiency. A reduction in the massis also desirable for roller blind cassettes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is therefore to further develop a genericroller blind cassette such that it has a low mass while being adequatelyresistant to torsion.

In accordance with the invention, this is achieved in accordance with afirst aspect of the invention in that two edge regions opposite oneanother and extending in the main extension direction on both sides ofthe slot of the hollow section are connected to one another in theregion of two opposite ends of the hollow section by a connectingbridge, with this connecting bridge being connected to at least one ofthe edge regions by connecting means that counter in a positive mannerthe freedom of the connecting bridge to rotate at the edge regiontransversely to the main extension direction of the roller blindcassette.

In accordance with the invention, it is therefore provided that the edgeregions of the cassette are directly connected to one another, thisconnection being implemented by a connecting bridge in such a way thatthe connecting bridge is fastened at at least one edge in such a waythat it cannot twist around a rotational axis aligned transversely tothe main extension direction, since this would counter the desiredresistance to torsion. Preventing the freedom to rotate at both the edgeregions that are connected to one another by the connecting bridge isadvantageous but not strictly necessary, since the rotary fixingmentioned above of the connecting means at one edge region achievesfixing that makes it possible to design the fixing on the other sidemore simply. An edge region is understood in the meaning of thisinvention to be a region that is not more than 15 mm away from the slotin the hollow section, and preferably not more than 10 mm. At least partof the transfer of force from the hollow section into the connectingbridge takes place within this edge region.

The connection as described of the opposed edge regions by means of aconnecting bridge can achieve a significant increase in the resistanceto torsion, so it is no longer necessary to use very thick platematerials. The mass can therefore be reduced.

Particularly simple designs of the connection between the roller blindcassette and the connecting bridge can be achieved if screwed or rivetedjoints are used here, where two such screws or rivets should be providedin such cases at at least one of the two ends in order to provide apositive prevention of the freedom to rotate.

In an alternative embodiment, which is particularly advantageous fromthe point of view of easy assembly, the connecting means used to connectthe connecting bridge to the hollow section incorporate a receivingshaft in the edge region of the housing and formed by the housing, intowhich an insertion piece on the connecting bridge, preferably made inone piece therewith, is inserted in the main extension direction. Insuch a design, therefore, suitable shaping of the hollow section forms areceiving shaft that extends in the main extension direction and intowhich is inserted an insertion piece of the connecting bridge that alsoextends in the main extension direction. It is possible here for thereceiving shaft and the insertion piece to have a constant cross-sectionalong their length. It is however advantageous for the insertion pieceto taper slightly towards its more remote end, so that when theinsertion piece is fully inserted there is also a non-positive couplingbetween the housing and the insertion piece with respect to a relativemovement in the main extension direction. It is furthermore advantageouswith this design when receiving shafts of this type are provided on bothsides of the slot, and when the connecting bridge incorporates twosubstantially parallel insertion pieces that are pushed into thesereceiving shafts at the two opposite edge regions.

The aforementioned taper allows a press-fit connection to be createdwhich counters non-positively any withdrawal of the connecting bridgefrom the receiving shafts or from the at least one receiving shaft.Positive prevention of withdrawal is advantageous. This can, forinstance, be formed by a connecting screw, connecting pin or connectingrivet passing through the hollow section in the region of the receivingshaft and through the insertion piece. In a particularly advantageousembodiment however, positive fastening means are provided on the hollowsection and the insertion piece, in particular in order to create a snapconnection by means of which the insertion piece is secured in thereceiving shaft to prevent withdrawal. These fastening means arepreferably designed such that they achieve a secured state simply byinsertion of the insertion piece into the receiving shaft. The method ofoperation can here be that of a barbed hook. This results in a verysimple assembly process, since it is only necessary to bring theconnecting bridge with the insertion piece that is moulded onto it fromthe side up to the hollow section and to push it in to create thedesired connection. A specific design of the fastening means couldhowever provide that recesses or depressions are provided in the hollowsection on the inside of the receiving shaft, into which a tongueprovided on the insertion piece can be snapped as soon as the insertionpiece has been introduced far enough into the receiving shaft. Acomplementary design in which the recess or the depression is providedon the insertion piece while the tongue is formed on the hollow sectionis equally effective.

To create the receiving shaft, it is preferably provided that the edgeregion of the hollow section is folded over on both sides of the slot inthe edge region adjacent to the slot, thereby creating slot-likereceiving shafts on both sides.

The connecting bridge can be designed such that it merely provides theconnection between the two opposite edge regions, but neverthelessleaves the ends of the hollow section unclosed. It can however also beeffective if the connecting bridge is made in particular in one piecewith an end cap closing off the end of the hollow section and at leastto a large extent closing the open end of the housing. In such a design,the connecting bridge thus performs a double function. It is the supportfor the end wall of the housing that is fastened to or moulded on it,and at the same time stabilizes the housing to prevent torsion. The endwall can at the same time also have the purpose of being the bearinglocation for the roller blind shaft rotatably mounted inside thehousing.

The invention furthermore relates to a designed related to the design asdescribed above, where a generic roller blind cassette is furtherdeveloped such that a connecting bridge extends over the slot from atleast one edge region to at least one of the ends and is made in onepiece with the hollow section and whose more remote end is fastened tothe opposite region. Alternatively, connecting bridges can extend overthe slot from both the opposite edge regions to at least one end of thehollow section, each bridge being made in one piece with the hollowsection, and whose more remote ends are connected to one another.

With such a design, a separate connecting bridge is therefore omitted.Instead, one or two connecting bridges made in one piece with the hollowsection are used at each end. If only one such connecting bridge is usedat each end, it extends over and past the slot, and is connected on theopposite side to the edge region in that area in such a way that arelative movement of the connecting bridge with respect to the edgeregion in the direction of the main extension direction is prevented. Inthis way, the desired resistance to torsion is again achieved. Thefastening used there is preferably a positive one, which again can beformed using a screwed or riveted connection passing through theconnecting bridge and the hollow section. In the design with twoconnecting bridges at each end that extend from the opposite sidestowards each other, this connection is flush with the slot.

This design again achieves a high level of resistance to torsion whichalso, due to the material bond arising from the connecting bridge beingin one piece with the hollow section, can offer even greater stabilitythan when an entirely separate connecting bridge is used.

The minimum of one connecting bridge at each end is preferably formed bymaking a cut in the hollow section transversely to the main extensiondirection, by which cut the connecting bridge is separated from a foldededge region of the exit slot. This makes it possible during manufacture,after making this cut extending transversely to the main extensiondirection, to fold over the edge region(s) in the area where the exitslot is to be formed, with the connecting bridge(s) remaining unaffectedby this as a result of the cut. This makes it easy to manufacture.

A roller blind cassette in accordance with the invention is preferably aroller blind cassette made of metal, in particular made from metal plateof constant thickness. In order to achieve a low mass, this thickness ispreferably no more than 1.5 mm, and in particular preferably no morethan 1 mm. As is made clear above, this low wall thickness of the hollowsection can be sufficient thanks to the resistance to torsion achievablewith the connecting bridge. The connecting bridge itself is, even whenit is provided as a separate component, also preferably made of metal.Here again this is preferably a metal plate component which is given thedesired form through by or a similar process so that, for instance, aninsertion piece of the type described above can be formed in this way.

The roller blind cassette in accordance with the invention is used in aroller blind in accordance with the invention which is in particularprovided and designed for use in a vehicle. This roller blind comprises,in addition to the roller blind cassette in accordance with theinvention, a roller blind shaft rotatably mounted inside the rollerblind cassette along with a roller blind which is wound onto the rollerblind shaft and which can be wound off the roller blind shaft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages and aspects of the invention emerge not only from theclaims but also from the description below of preferred embodiments ofthe invention, which are explained in more detail. Shown here in

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b illustrate a first embodiment of a roller blindcassette in accordance with the invention with a separate connectingbridge,

FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of a roller blind cassette inaccordance with the invention with a separate connecting bridge,

FIG. 3 illustrates a third embodiment of a roller blind cassette inaccordance with the invention with a separate connecting bridge,

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrate a fourth embodiment of a roller blindcassette in accordance with the invention with a separate connectingbridge,

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b illustrate a fifth embodiment of a roller blindcassette in accordance with the invention, which represents a variationon the embodiment of FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, and

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate a sixth embodiment of a roller blindcassette in accordance with the invention with a moulded-on connectingbridge,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b illustrate schematically a first embodiment of aroller blind cassette in accordance with the invention. This rollerblind cassette 100 primarily comprises an open, hollow section 110designed as a curved piece of metal plate. The thickness of the walls ofthis hollow section is in the region of 1 mm. As a result of being madeas an open hollow section, it is easy and economical to fabricate.Nevertheless, an open and hollow section such as this has a tendency totwist markedly if subjected to the torsion indicated by the arrows 2 a,2 b. The resultant movement of the hollow section 110 in thelongitudinal direction is illustrated by the arrows 3 a and 3 b. Inorder to prevent this, connecting bridges 120 are provided at both ofthe ends 110 a, 110 b of the hollow section 110, where for the sake ofclarity only the connecting bridge on the left-hand side is illustratedin the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 5.

In the case of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, the connectingbridge 120 is a simple strip of metal plate. This is, as illustrated inFIG. 1 b, mounted on the inside in the region of a slot 112 of thehollow section 110, and connected to the edge regions 112 a, 112 b onboth sides of the slot by means of rivets 130. Here, at least in oneedge region 112 a, two holes 114 a are provided for these rivets 130, sothat after the connecting bridge 120 has been fastened as shown in FIG.1 b, the connection is fixed, and in particular fixed so that it cannotrotate, relative to the edge region 112 a. In the edge region 112 b onthe opposite side, in the embodiments of FIGS. la and lb, only one rivet130 is provided to connect the hollow section 110 to the connectingbridge 120. It is of course possible to improve the force transfer byproviding a second rivet here as well.

The hollow section made in this way to hold a roller blind shaft 102illustrated in FIG. 1 b, and whose purpose is to wind up a roller blind104, can be made economically and is exceptionally stable. It istherefore an economical alternative to what was originally a closedhollow section, in which the outlet slot is created after the hollowsection has been manufactured.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 illustrates how the connecting bridge 120 doesnot necessarily have to be made as a simple, plane connecting strip.Instead it can be shaped in such a way that it partially or fully closesthe open cross-section found at the ends 110 a, 110 b of the hollowsection. In such a case, it is advantageous if the end wall 120 a, whichis preferably made in one piece with the connecting bridge, also has onits inner face bearing means, not illustrated, for mounting of thewinding shaft 102.

FIG. 3 illustrates that the stabilization of the open, hollow section bymeans of a connecting bridge 120 is not restricted to cassettes in whichthe edge regions 112 a, 112 b are aligned with one another on both sidesof the slot 112. Instead, it is quite possible for the slot 112 to belocated in an exposed position between two edge regions 112 a, 112 bthat are angled relative to one another. In such a case, the connectingbridge 120 is provided as a curved component in the manner shown in FIG.3.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrate a further embodiment of a roller blindcassette 200 in accordance with the invention. In this, connecting meansseparate from the hollow section 210 and the connecting bridge 220 arenot used. Instead, the hollow section 210 is folded over in the regionof the slot 212 at each of the edge regions 212 a and 212 b, so that tworeceiving shafts 216 are formed at the two ends 210 a, 210 b.Correspondingly, the connecting bridge 220 is provided with twoinsertion pieces 222 extending approximately in the main extensiondirection 1 of the roller blind cassette 200 and slightly taperingtowards their more remote end. In this embodiment, these approximatelyU-shaped connecting bridges 220 are pushed at both ends of the slot 212into the receiving shafts 216. The receiving shafts 216 and theinsertion pieces 222 are here matched to one another such that apermanent non-positive press-fit is created to counter torsion of theroller blind cassette 200. In order to create an adequate press-fit, itis however necessary to push the insertion pieces 222 into the receivingshafts 216 with considerable force.

The embodiment of FIGS. 5 a and 5 a is related to this, but hasinsertion pieces 222 which have engaging thickened portions 222 a ontheir upper faces. These have a vertical face on their outward-lookingsides, and—taking FIG. 5 a as a reference—extended sloping faces on theends facing towards the receiving shaft 216. Corresponding to these,recesses 218 are provided in the edge regions 212 a, 212 b on both sidesof the slot 212, into which the thickened portions 222 a can engage.

When assembling the roller blind cassette according to FIGS. 5 a and 5b, considerably less force is therefore necessary in comparison withassembling the embodiment of FIGS. 4 a and 4 b. As soon as the twoinsertion pieces 222 of the connecting bridge 220 are pushed far enoughinto the receiving shafts 216, the engaging thickened portions 222 asnap into the recesses 218, and, in the manner of a barbed hook,effectively prevent a relative movement in opposite directions betweenthe edge regions 212 a and 212 b. High torsional stiffness of the rollerblind cassette 200 is again the result.

There is no separate connecting bridge in the embodiment according toFIG. 6 a. The edge regions 312 a, 312 b are instead folded over in asimilar manner to the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5. In the regions ofeach of the two ends 310 a, however, a cut 313 is made, as a result ofwhich the connecting bridges 315 a, 315 b are left out of the foldingprocess. These therefore extend substantially in the same plane as theedge region 312 a and 312 b, and overlap one another. In the region ofthe overlap, they are connected to one another by a connecting means,here taking the form of a rivet 330. The torsional stiffness achieved inthis way is greater even than the torsional stiffness of the foregoingembodiments, since, due to the forming of the connecting bridges 315 a,315 b in one piece with the hollow section 310, there is no reason toexpect the connecting bridges to separate from the hollow section 310.

In an alternative embodiment, not shown in the drawing, a connectingbridge is only formed on one of the two sides, extending toward theopposite side. On the far side of the exit slot, this overlaps theopposite edge region and is again fastened there by a connecting meanssuch as a rivet.

1. A roller blind cassette for holding a roller blind shaft and a rollerblind which when stowed is wound onto the roller blind shaft and whichcan be drawn in a longitudinal direction off the roller blind shaft in afunction state through an exit slot of the roller blind cassette, theroller blind cassette having a housing which has a hollow sectionslotted along its full length and extending in a main extensiondirection transversely to the longitudinal direction and whose slotconstitutes the exit slot of the roller blind cassette, wherein two edgeregions of the housing on opposite sides of the slot at at least one endof the roller blind cassette are connected to one another by aconnecting bridge, the connecting bridge being made in one piece withthe hollow section and extending over the exit slot.
 2. The roller blindcassette according to claim 1, wherein the connecting bridge is formedby means of a cut made transversely to the main extension direction, bywhich cut the connecting bridge is separated from a folded edge regionof the hollow section.
 3. The roller blind cassette according to claim1, wherein at the one end of the roller blind cassette a pair ofconnecting bridges extend from both of the edge regions and over theexit slot, each connecting bridge being made in one piece with thehollow section, and remote ends of the connecting bridges beingconnected to one another.
 4. The roller blind cassette according toclaim 1, wherein the hollow section is made of metal plate of constantthickness, said thickness being no more than 1.5 mm.
 5. A roller blindarrangement for use in a vehicle, said arrangement comprising: a rollerblind cassette having a housing including a hollow section extending ina main extension direction, an exit slot extending along a full extentof said hollow section and a pair of edge regions disposed opposite oneanother on both sides of said exit slot and extending in the mainextension direction, each said edge region being folded over on itself;a roller blind shaft defining an axis substantially parallel to the mainextension direction, said roller blind shaft being mounted within saidcassette for rotation about the axis; and a roller blind disposed withinsaid cassette and wound onto said roller blind shaft in a stowedconfiguration and unwound from said roller blind shaft in a functionalconfiguration in which said roller blind is at least partially extended,in a longitudinal direction transverse to the main extension direction,from said roller blind shaft through said exit slot; wherein said edgeregions located opposite one another at at least one end of said housingare interconnected to one another by a connecting bridge to minimizetorsion of said housing, said connecting bridge being formed integrallywith said housing and extending over said exit slot.
 6. The roller blindarrangement according to claim 5, wherein each said edge region of saidhousing is folded over on itself to define first and second edge wallsdisposed in closely adjacent and facing relation with one another. 7.The roller blind arrangement according to claim 6, wherein saidconnecting bridge extends between said edge regions in a directionsubstantially parallel with the longitudinal direction.
 8. The rollerblind arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said hollow section ofsaid housing comprises a tubular side wall which is elongated in themain extension direction, said first and second edge walls of each ofsaid edge regions each forming a part of said side wall and said exitslot being defined in said side wall and extending in the main extensiondirection therealong.
 9. The roller blind arrangement according to claim6, wherein said connecting bridge is a first connecting bridge and saidarrangement includes a second connecting bridge substantially identicalto said first connecting bridge, said one end of said housing is a firstend and said housing includes a second end spaced from said first end,said edge regions located opposite one another at said second end ofsaid housing being interconnected to one another by said secondconnecting bridge, said second connecting bridge being formed integrallywith said housing and extending over said exit slot.
 10. The rollerblind arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said connecting bridgeis formed as one-piece with said housing.
 11. The roller blindarrangement according to claim 10, wherein said connecting bridge isformed by a cut disposed in said housing transversely to the mainextension direction, said connecting bridge extending from one of saidfolded edge regions in a direction transverse to the main extensiondirection and being separated from said one folded edge region by saidcut.
 12. The roller blind arrangement according to claim 11, whereinsaid connecting bridge is a first connecting bridge and said cut is afirst cut, said arrangement further including a second connecting bridgeformed by a second cut disposed in said housing transversely to the mainextension direction, said second connecting bridge extending from theother of said folded edge regions in a direction transverse to the mainextension direction and being separated from said other folded edgeregion by said second cut, said first and second connecting bridgesbeing fastened to one another to minimize torsion of said housing. 13.The roller blind arrangement according to claim 6, wherein saidconnecting bridge is a first connecting bridge and said arrangementfurther includes a second connecting bridge formed integrally with saidhousing and extending over said exit slot, said connecting bridges beingfastened to one another to minimize torsion of said housing.
 14. Theroller blind arrangement according to claim 13, wherein said first andsecond connecting bridges are disposed in overlapping and superimposedrelation with one another.